Vera Egito’s The Battle (A Batalha Da Rua Maria Antonia) won best fiction feature in the Première Brasil section at the 25th Rio International Film Festival closing ceremony.
As with most years, the ceremony showcased some of the strongest voices in Brazilian cinema. Unlike previous editions, however, the top winner received its world premiere at the festival and had not already enjoyed successful runs in international festivals like Cannes, Venice or Toronto.
The film’s title refers to Rua Maria Antônia, a street in the centre of Brazilian city São Paulo which was the stage for a famous confrontation between left- wing and right-wing university students in October 1968 during Brazil’s military dictatorship.
On the night it screened, The Battle won over audiences and critics alike by recreating in 21 sequences the tension and violence experienced by teachers and students on that fateful day. The film captures the passion of the students as they clashed armed with sticks, stones, chairs, table legs and homemade bombs.
Until now Egito was best known internationally for her short films such as Spread Through The Air (2007) and Bond (2008), as well as Restless Love (2016), her debut feature which screened at Miami International Film Festival.
The Battle marks the first time in years that a major Rio winner has been a festival discovery. As the festival takes place in October, previous Première Brasil winners often arrive with the endorsement of international festivals, as was the case with Marcelo Gomes’ Paloma and Anita Rocha da Silveira’s Medusa, winners in 2022 and 2021 respectively.
Paloma screened for the first time in Munich while Medusa premiered in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
André Novais Oliveira’s O Dia que te Conheci, the special jury prize winner, is another Brazilian film starting its journey in Rio this year. The film is a chronicle of everyday life, focusing on a librarian who works in a neighbouring city where he will get another shot at love.
Several films awarded at Première Brasil this year had already been selected for international festivals. Power Alley, winner of the best director (Lillah Halla) and best editing awards in Rio, received the Cannes Critics’ Week Fipresci prize in May.
Toll by Carolina Markowicz was presented in San Sebastián and Toronto before winning four awards at Première Brasil: best actress (Maeve Jinkins), best actor (Kauã Alvarenga), best supporting actress (Aline Marta Maia) and best art direction (Vicente Saldanha).
The recipient of the best cinematography prize in Rio, Heartless directed by Nara Normande and Tião, premiered in Venice’s Horizons section.
Usually, Rio is an ideal platform to present local films to Brazilian audiences. The festival exposure often helps victorious films achieve a larger domestic release and winning titles without distribution usually get acquired.
The full list of Rio film festival winners:
Best fiction feature
The Battle (Vera Egito)
Special jury prize
O Dia que te Conheci (Andre Novais de Oliveira)
Best director, fiction
Lillah Halla (Power Alley)
Best actress
Maeve Jinkins (Toll) and Grace Passô (O Dia que te Conheci)
Best actor
Kauã Alvarenga (Toll)
Best supporting actress
Aline Marta Maia (Toll)
Best supporting actor
Carlos Francisco (Estranho Caminho)
Best cinematography
Evgenia Alexandrova (Heartless)
Best editing
Eva Randolph (Power Alley)
Best screenplay
Guto Parente (Estranho Caminho)
Best art direction
Vicente Saldanha (Toll)
Best documentary
Othelo, o Grande (Lucas H. Rossi dos Santos)
Best Director, documentary
Daniel Gonçalves (Assexybilidade)
Honorable Mention, documentary
Black Rio! Black Power! (Emílio Domingos)
Best Short
Cabana (Adriana de Faria).
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